Press Release: Dawn Inc. To Present A Ukrainian Film Bucha At Salem Cinema
For Immediate Release
June 11, 2024
For more information or to set up an interview, please contact: Yulia Brockdorf, DAWN Inc. Board President, yulia@dawnus.org (press use only, not for public use)
DAWN INC. TO PRESENT A UKRAINIAN FILM BUCHA AT SALEM CINEMA Screenwriter and producer Oleksandr Shchur will be in attendance for Q&A following the viewing.
Screenwriter and Producer for Bucha
SALEM, Ore. – DAWN Inc., an organization that supports local, national, and international efforts to promote the healing and welfare of people and our planet, will present BUCHA on Thursday, June 27 at 6:30 p.m. Q&A will follow with screenwriter and producer Oleksandr Shchur. In conjunction with the Ukraine theme of this year’s World Beat Festival organized by Salem Cultural Institute, all proceeds will aid in humanitarian efforts in the Ukraine. Last year, BUCHA gained prominence on major international film platforms, showcased at renowned events such as the 80th Anniversary International Film Festival in Venice, La Biennale di Venezia, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
DAWN Inc. board president Yulia Brockdorf says, “DAWN, Inc. is proud to bring the powerful film BUCHA to Salem as a kick-off event to The WORLD BEAT FESTIVAL with this year’s focus on Ukraine. Partnering this important event with Salem Cinema has allowed us to share screenwriter and producer Oleksandr Shchur’s work. We are overjoyed that he will be able to attend this very special preview of his film before its general release.”
BUCHA is an intense drama based on actual events in Bucha, Vorzel, and Hostomel (Kyiv region) during the Russian occupation in the first months of the war in February-March 2022. It tells of the rescue of local residents by Konstantin Gudauskas, a citizen of Kazakhstan who received asylum in Ukraine and lived in Bucha. When the Russian invasion began, Gudauskas was allowed to cross into the territory occupied by Russian troops because of his Kazakh passport. Once there, he was able to extract Ukrainian civilians out of the occupied territory into safety. Konstantin not only saved people, but also became an eyewitness to all the horrors of war and occupation. Though haunting and harrowing, BUCHA gives us a perfect demonstration of the reasons why Ukrainians fight so vigorously for their country. It is an existential fight against a genocidal enemy.
Oleksandr Shchur is the producer, screenwriter and showrunner of several TV series and various Kvartal 95 Studio projects, including the movies DATE IN VEGAS and I, YOU, HE, SHE. He has been working in the field of film production since 2012. After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion on Ukraine in February of 2022, he began actively volunteering in humanitarian efforts. Shchur, who lived near Bucha, had to get his pregnant wife to safety right when invading troops were moving in. That experience prompted him to write the script and make this film recounting the horrors of life under the Russian occupation for the world to see.
To learn more about DAWN Inc, visit dawnus.org. They are a group of dedicated people who believe that humans deserve to live in safe, nurturing environments where their freedoms, beliefs and cultural heritage will be protected. They also believe that all living things need to be cared for and preserved for future generations to thrive.
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What: Ukrainian film BUCHA
Where: Salem Cinema, 1127 Broadway NE, Salem, OR 97301
When: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 27
Cost: $27.50 advance; $37.75 day of event
Information: dawnus.org and salemcinema.com
- Screenwriter and producer Oleksandr Shchur courtesy of BuchaFilm LLC
- Film still from Bucha courtesy of BuchaFilm LLC